The Tale of Koya
by m3mph1s
Summary: This is a story I've written up about a S. Tribe Waterbender named Koya, about 15 years old, and living at the time Avatar Aang is beginning his adventures with Katara and Sokka. 2nd Chapter is up, much better than the first in my opinion, Reviews welcome
1. The Escape

This is the first chapter of the story of Koya, a waterbender taken from the South Pole as a boy. This is my first fanfic, and as such I can use any and all reviews.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, wish I did though...**

**--**

The frigid wind licked Koya's face as he looked across the barren metal that made up the Fire Nation prison grounds. The cold sent his mind wandering back to the last time he was home.

It had been almost 7 years since he had been taken from the Southern Water Tribe by the Fire Nation. He could see the horrible day like it was happening before him. The Fire Nation soldier grabbing his 8 year old self from his mother's weeping figure and dragging him from her arms. He remembered the eyes of the man, through his helmet's slits. There was no kindness in those steel gray eyes. They were filled with hate and malice, and his voice spoke with no feeling. "You'll rot in the Waterbending Camps, boy," he had said. Koya remembered the fear he felt as he was dragged up the ramp into the dark ship.

Whenever he thought back to the dark day, he was filled with a hunger for revenge and a drive to escape, though he knew full well the punishments at the prison camp for insurrection. Steps were taken to ensure all water given to the prisoners was regulated and given in small portions while they were securely chained down.

Still, there been some escape attempts, thought Koya. He remembered how Sonya had tried to heave up a meal and bend the water in it, but after slicing his cell bars, he was tackled by numerous guards and thrown into solitary confinement for a week. Koya also remembered his friend Jin's escape attempt with a frown. A week ago, she had tried to run in her cell and sweat and use that to escape. However, she overexerted and dehydrated herself. However, the guards hadn't cared. They simply took her lifeless body, joking while carrying it, and dumped it over the prison walls into a ditch that ran along the camp. That day had only increased his hate of the Fire Nation, and he had made a solemn promise that if he ever broke out, he would bring her body back to the South Pole.

Besides the occasional escape attempt, however, life in the prison was disheartening and dull. Fire Lord Ozai had visited the prison once to check its status, but all the visit changed was that the guards became more hostile to the smallest things, such as severe burns for not bowing to the warden.

The wind had now increased in intensity, and it had begun to rain. Koya felt the water hit his hair and felt the soft droplets trickled down his face. It was such a welcome feeling to have water around him. "WATER!" he thought, cursing himself for not realizing already. He had found his perfect chance for an escape. He saw prison guards running into the grounds, also having noticed the rain, and trying to round up the waterbenders before any of them took advantage of it. However, Koya could see their faces as the usual grim and lost expressions were changed to those of confidence and righteous anger, realizing the power they now had over the guards. As the rain enveloped him, Koya could feel each individual drop; he could feel the strength it offered to him. He felt each drop as an extension of his body, offering him a weapon that had been so long kept away. As he bended the rain to his will, he noticed several guards hurrying over to him. He quickly sent a torrent of rain soaring at them, making them crash to the ground.

Looking for a possible escape, he noticed a guard tower nearby with a ladder leading up to it. Koya sprinted to the ladder and quickly climbed into the tower only to find two firebenders in it, aiming their fists at him. Bending water in front of him as they fired fire blasts at him, he felt the heat sting at his now numb face. He sent the water wall crashing at them, launching them from the tower.

Koya quickly gained his bearings, his deep blue eyes searching for a way down. Finding none, he created a slide of ice leading out of the tower. Before jumping onto it, however, he halted, wanting to help some of the other prisoners escape, but with a look towards the grounds he could see only a few making their own escapes and many others being rounded up by the guards. Koya reasoned that to go back would mean imprisonment for him and those he would try to help and chose instead to escape. After sliding out the tower and onto the prison outskirts, he remembered his self-promise to Jin and ran towards the death pits. Koya frantically searched through the bodies, trying to find her. At last he found her frail form, struggling to suppress his tears at the sight of her. Grabbing her collar and scrambling out of the ditch, he made his way out into the wilderness surrounding the camp.

The adrenaline from his escape soon left Koya, and he began to stagger from fatigue as he carried Jin's body into the woods. Realizing he had no idea where he was, he dropped down to his knees. The noises of the camp guards grew as they began searching for the escapees, however, and he heaved himself up and on into the unknown.

"Don't worry Jin," he assured her and himself, "we'll find our way home, I promise you."

Deciding he had made enough distance from the camp, he carefully laid Jin down onto a soft bed of grass. Fatigue once again overtook him, and he slumped down onto a nearby tree. Blackness surrounded him, and he slowly let his eyes droop.

--

Hope you guys liked the first chapter, and again, I really can use all of your reviews, so don't hesitate to, well, review!


	2. Plans

Koya woke to the sound of birds chirping

Koya woke to the sound of birds chirping. He felt the warm sunlight beam on his face, and he kept his eyes closed to savor the relaxing feeling it filled him with.

The storm that had hit the previous day had since blown over, and in its stead had left a beautiful day. Koya lay still in the calm for several minutes until the sound of crunching caused him to snap upright. Several feet away from him, a boy not much older than himself was sitting and eating a breakfast of berries and nuts.

"So you're awake then, Koya?" he asked rhetorically with a smile.

"Sonya! You made it out of the camp too!" Koya exclaimed. His voice sounded unfamiliar and hoarse from lack of use.

Sonya was another waterbender from the Southern Tribe who had been kidnapped around the same time as Koya. He was about two years older than Koya, making him 17, and his older age was evident in his lean, strong face which sported a small mustache, whereas Koya simply had a bit of stubble.

He stood up and walked over to help Koya up. Standing in front of him, Koya realized that Sonya was easily three or four inches taller than him now.

"You look like your starving," Sonya observed, handing Koya several berries and nuts.

"So how did you get out?" Koya asked. "They threw you in solitary confinement a few days ago, didn't they?" he added, popping a few berries into his mouth.

"Well, the rain did help a bit," Sonya said sarcastically, chuckling. Koya smiled and felt his muscles strain with the unusual expression. "The guards tried to chain me down right away," Sonya continued, "but I dropped them like that," he snapped to emphasize his speed. "After that it wasn't hard getting out. There was so much commotion and the guards were too distracted to notice me smash my way through a side door. Of course I managed to kill a few firebenders on my way out too," he concluded.

Koya choked on a walnut. "You _killed_ them?" he coughed out, horrified.

Sonya eyed him curiously, his smile gone now. "Why are you so surprised?" he asked. "You never wanted revenge on the Fire Nation for what they did to you? You never wanted revenge for what they've done to our friends, our families, our tribe?" He asked, his voice rising with anger.

"Of course I wanted revenge, but killing them, that's just-"

"-what they deserve," Sonya finished.

They sat in silence for a several minutes, the only sound coming from the birds chirping above. Koya, still horrified by what Sonya had confessed to doing, and trying to wrap his mind around the idea of taking a life, even that of a Fire Nation soldier.

"So how'd you get out?" Sonya offered, trying to break the silence.

"I fought through a few guards and made my way up to one of the towers, created an ice slide and slid out," Koya answered absentmindedly, still preoccupied with his thoughts. "Then I got Jin out of the death pits and…" he trailed off, realizing Jin's body was gone. "Where's Jin?" He asked loudly, looking at Sonya.

"Oh, sorry, I saw her body and buried her over by those trees," Sonya pointed over to a small clearing nearby.

"It's alright," Koya assured him. He got up, walked over to the clearing and knelt on the patch of fresh dirt. Sonya looked away to give him some privacy.

"I'm so sorry you had to… to die this way," uttered Koya, tears starting down his face. "You were a true friend and a faithful companion to me, and I promise I will never forget you."

Koya stood up, tears now streaming down his face onto Jin's grave. "I'll always love you," he whispered.

Koya heard Sonya walk over and turned to face him, wiping his face. "We should probably get going," Sonya stated, putting a hand on Koya's shoulder in support.

"Where are we -hnh- going?" Koya asked with a hiccup.

"Well now that I'm free, I want to help fight in the war," Sonya stated. "I heard one of the guards saying we're on the North West corner of the Earth Kingdom. If we can sneak past the Fire Nation Army's lines, I figure we'll run into an Earth Kingdom fort or camp where we can enlist," he explained. "That is, as long as your in," he extended his arm, prompting Koya for a response.

Koya grasped Sonya's arm tightly in agreement. "I'm in," he declared.


	3. Prophecies

**This is a pretty long chapter, but I feel it's really important for how Koya's story will progress**

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Koya looked dazedly at the dry earth beneath him, his feet slowly shuffling and kicking up dust in his wake

Koya looked dazedly at the dry earth beneath him, his feet slowly shuffling and kicking up dust in his wake. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry and dusty. He glanced up at the taller figure of Sonya ahead of him, determinedly pushing onward into the desert.

"Four days of almost no water, no food, barely any rest," Koya thought grimly. He looked up again, this time at the blazing sky. The sun shone bright hot, almost mocking Koya as he straggled through the caked earth.

The sound of wheels and hooves startled Koya, and he looked around, noticing an old man driving a cart pulled by an ostrich horse.

"Sonya, look!" Koya said excitedly, his dry throat making his voice raspy.

Sonya whipped around in surprise and saw the cart as well, his face turning from surprise to relief.

"Looks like you two could use a ride," the old man said with a smile, eyeing their tattered clothes and exhausted expressions. He motioned for them to join him on the cart, to which they gladly obliged. "I'm Shi Fu by the way," he added courteously.

"I'm Sonya, and this is my friend Koya," Sonya told him as they climbed into the cart.

"So where are you headed then, Sonya and Koya?" Shi Fu asked, striking the reigns.

"We're headed to the nearest Earth Kingdom camp or fort, if you can take us to one," Sonya responded. Next to him, Koya was gazing lustfully at the water sacs and meat in the back of the cart.

"I can take you as far as Yin Yan camp," Shi Fu told Sonya. "You know you can help yourself to what you like," he added kindly to Koya. At his queue, Koya took a sac of water and began chugging it down feverishly, while Sonya took a parcel of meat and started to devour it. Shi Fu let them eat and drink for a few minutes before asking more questions.

"So where are you two from?" He asked when they finished.

"The Southern Water Tribe," Sonya responded. Koya looked anxiously at him, not wanting Sonya to reveal too much about them. How did he know this old man wasn't Fire Nation?

"Ah, well you're quite far from home if that's where you two are from," Shi Fu deduced. "I hope you didn't come all this way for the war!" He exclaimed jokingly.

"No, we're here _because_ of the war," Koya stated darkly, speaking up for the first time.

"I see… the Fire Nation prison camps," Shi Fu realized, and he noticed Koya's face turn to fury. "You two are waterbenders, aren't you?" He asked rhetorically, his pity and compassion showing in his face.

"Yeah, we are," Koya said, looking down at the floor of the cart. He lost consciousness of the world around him and he thought back on everything the Fire Nation had taken from him, the pain and suffering they had put himself and his people through. "-_what they deserve_," he remembered Sonya saying, justifying him killing the firebenders. "What they deserve," Koya whispered quietly.

"Where are you headed then, Shi Fu?" Sonya asked the old man as Koya roused from his train of thought.

"Me? Oh, I'm going to Ba Sing Se," he responded. "I've had enough of this ugly war and I hear it's the safest place to be right now. I also want to start up my business there."

"Oh, what do you do?" Sonya inquired.

"Well, some would call me a fortuneteller, but I don't believe in absurd things like reading the skies simply to find if someone will marry." Shi Fu explained to them. "No, I do real readings about people. I can reveal things about people that they would never imagine about themselves," he continued. "For instance you, Sonya," he said, letting go of the reigns and turning to face him. "I can see that you're an experienced waterbender, though you know that already. You hate the Fire Nation for what they have done to you, and you will never forgive them."

"Is that it?" Sonya asked, doubting Shi Fu's self-proclaimed abilities.

"Do you want to know more? Know that you may not like what you hear." Sonya nodded vigorously.

"Very well," Shi Fu agreed. "You want revenge, which is why you want to fight in the war. However, war is a horrible ordeal. If you continue your pursuit of vengeance, it is very possible that your hate will overcome you. Men lose their lives following hate like that."

Sonya stared at Shi Fu for a moment, frowning, worried by what the old man had said about him.

"How about you, Koya?" Shi Fu posed, turning away from the distressed face of Sonya.

"Sure, why not," Koya consented sullenly with a worried look at Sonya.

"That's strange," Shi Fu stated, looking more intently at Koya. "I don't see anything." However, Koya noticed a strange look of complete understanding, even fear, in Shi Fu's eyes. Sonya, still distressed, was staring blankly into the distance, oblivious to what was going on.

"It's getting dark," Shi Fu said quickly, turning away from Koya. "We should stop for the night."

Shi Fu pulled the cart to the side of the road, and unloaded three blankets. Koya went off to search for wood to make a fire while Sonya gathered some meat from the cart. Koya returned several minutes later with a small bundle of flimsy twigs and set about striking a fire. After the fire was started, the three travelers cooked and ate the meat in silence, each of them deep in thought. When he had finished eating, Sonya grabbed a blanket and went to sleep, acknowledging Koya and Shi Fu with a simple, "Nite."

"What did you really see in my future, Shi Fu?" Koya asked once Sonya was fast asleep and snoring.

Shi Fu was silent for a moment, staring at the flickering fire. "I saw a very conflicted soul," he said finally.

"I don't understand."

"Ever since the Fire Nation took you from the South Pole, all you have known is loss. You lost your family, your home, your hope," Shi Fu explained, "and your love." Koya winced at the last word, remembering Jin. "And even with everything you've experienced, you never once wished retribution on the Fire Nation. Even when you escaped the prison camp, when you had a perfect chance for revenge, you didn't take it, instead you ran…"

"How do you know all this stuff about my past!" Koya interrupted, his voice rising.

"I told you, I can see the past, present, and future of people, as well as their intentions and souls" Shi Fu explained. "Do you want me to continue or not?"

Koya scowled, but nodded.

"Where was I? Ah, yes, you escaped the prison without seeking revenge," he remembered. "However, now you have a conflict raging within you. Sonya has voiced his vengeful ideas to you, and you think that as a waterbender you have to hate the Fire Nation. Unfortunately, I see even more struggle and suffering in your future. All of your experiences and hardships will lead you conflict of mind. You will have to face a crossroad that will define your destiny. One road will offer love, a beautiful wife, a family, and happiness. The other road will offer revenge, anger, and terrifying power. However, as I told Sonya, that path only leads to death, pain, and destruction."

Koya remained silent after Shi Fu finished. "That's an easy choice though, isn't it?" Koya asked. "Why would I choose destruction and death over love and happiness?"

"You would be surprised how many people would choose power and destruction," Shi Fu stated grimly, the dying fire casting flickering light across his face. "You should get some sleep."

Koya got under the blanket, still thinking deeply about what Shi Fu had said. "I would choose love and happiness, I know I would, I _know _I would…"

--

The next day, they made it to Yin Yan camp. Sonya and Koya thanked Shi Fu for all his help and kindness and wished him the best of luck in Ba Sing Se. As they watched him ride off, they both thought unhappily about the prophecies he had made about them.

"I assume you two want to enlist," said a voice behind them.

They turned around and saw the Earth Kingdom soldier who had spoken.

"That's right," Sonya said, shrugging off Shi Fu's prophecy and regaining his composure.

"Well what are you? Earthbender or nonbender?" the Soldier asked, pulling out a sheet of paper.

"We're both waterbenders." The soldier looked up in slight surprise, his eyebrows raised. "Well you two want to be in Camp Xiang, that's where the waterbender auxiliaries are fighting. Your in luck though, the next convoy there leaves tomorrow, midday. Sign in at the command tent, it's the big one with the Earth Kingdom flag on top, and get some new clothes." he instructed. "And welcome to the Earth Kingdom Army!" he added, smiling sarcastically.

**--**

**As always, please give reviews, they really do help!**


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